I remember coming across an academic article a while ago quoting a sutta where the Buddha describes how to develop a mental body after emerging from the first jhana. I can't find the article right now; it was discussing it in the context of supernatural abilities in Buddhism and IIRC, covered a bit of tantric material as well. Does anyone know the paper I am talking about or where this sutta reference can be found?

There's a whole section on special powers in the Samyutta Nikaya. It is section 51, titled the "Iddhipada-samyutta." Only a couple of the suttas from that section are translated on A2I: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/#sn51 I doubt you'll find anything related to tantra in the Pali canon, though, since tantra didn't emerge until almost a thousand years after the time of the Buddha.

Derek wrote:There's a whole section on special powers in the Samyutta Nikaya. It is section 51, titled the "Iddhipada-samyutta." Only a couple of the suttas from that section are translated on A2I: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/#sn51 I doubt you'll find anything related to tantra in the Pali canon, though, since tantra didn't emerge until almost a thousand years after the time of the Buddha.

Thanks. Yep, I know that, I'm just mentioning it because IIRC, it was part of the article.

DN 9 wrote:"I also teach the Dhamma for the abandoning of the mind-made acquisition of a self..."

I'm not aware of anything that stitches such an acquisition to a jhana, however.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

Sherlock wrote:I remember coming across an academic article a while ago quoting a sutta where the Buddha describes how to develop a mental body after emerging from the first jhana. I can't find the article right now; it was discussing it in the context of supernatural abilities in Buddhism and IIRC, covered a bit of tantric material as well. Does anyone know the paper I am talking about or where this sutta reference can be found?

[The Mind-made Body]"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties. Just as if a man were to draw a reed from its sheath. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sheath, this is the reed. The sheath is one thing, the reed another, but the reed has been drawn out from the sheath.' Or as if a man were to draw a sword from its scabbard. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sword, this is the scabbard. The sword is one thing, the scabbard another, but the sword has been drawn out from the scabbard.' Or as if a man were to pull a snake out from its slough. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the snake, this is the slough. The snake is one thing, the slough another, but the snake has been pulled out from the slough.' In the same way — with his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, the monk directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties.

"This, too, great king, is a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.

Sherlock wrote:In case anyone is interested, I think this was the article I was thinking of. No mention of tantra but I might have remembered wrongly.

If you've based the statement in this thread title upon Harvey's article, then I think you are probably confusing (1) the production of "subtle mind-generated materialities" (cittaja sukhuma rūpa) by each jhānic citta with (2) the generation of a "mind-made body" (manomaya kāya) after emergence from the fourth jhāna. The two things have nothing to do with each other.

...and this thought arose in the mind of the Blessed One:“Who lives without reverence lives miserably.”— Uruvela Sutta, A.ii.20

It were endless to dispute upon everything that is disputable.— William Penn Some Fruits of Solitude,